The Feb 2013 edition of Sunset magazine has an article about Las Vegas embracing what's left of it's past. It has a short write-up about Frankie's "because it's time to say no to Red Bull and Vodka"

"Frankie's Tiki Room - When you walk into this bar you'll think, Whoa, it's dark in here, and take off your glasses. Nothing will happen. Once you grow accustomed to the permanent twilight, you'll discover you're amid thatch, bamboo, woven grass panels, and carved tiki heads. You're drinking: The Lava Letch, with a lush raspberry taste that tangos nicely with ginger beer, a combo that extinguishes the late afternoon exhaustion."
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Pirate Ship Tree House

Frankieís donít give a shit if you think itís too dark inside. Fuck you if you donít like the video poker embedded in the bartop. You donít like that they free pour when making drinks and donít use laboratory vessels to ensure consistency? Go back to fucking San Francisco. Donít like cigarette smoke? Frankieís donít give a shit. Go to Wendyís.

Frankieís is a neo-retro tiki bar that serves up great, postcard-worthy tiki cocktails, and does so in a place that has more of a crusty, neighborhood hangout sensibility than youíd expect in always-slick Las Vegas. Itís close enough to downtown and The Strip that it requires only a few minutes to get there, but itís far enough away to make it feel like an oasis (granted, an oasis at midnight), providing respite from the constant, conning hustle.
And that makes this pretty close to an authentic tiki bar, even though itís been tiki only since 2008. It feels like the 1950s here, complete with smoky haze, lack of preening, and a leave-it-at-the-door attitude. Itís also got a killer interior, designed by the grandson of the designer behind Walt Disneyís Enchanted Tiki Room.

I sipped a couple of tall drinks, including the Lava Letch served in one of the barís fine custom tiki mugs (ďcollectible designs by some of the world's top lowbrow artistsĒ). Iíll admit the drinks werenít perfect ó a bit too sweet for me, but not bad.

The sound track was distantly Hawaiian, accompanied, more proximately, by a raspy, smoke-tortured laugh. This laugh had character ó a long, leisurely roll of vexed amusement that dissolved into thorny rattles of a phlegmy staccato, which floated around the room for a long while, mingling with the cigarette smoke.

You donít like hearing a laugh that reminds you of emphysema? Frankieís donít give a shit. You donít like it, go to the Mandarin Oriental.

That's a pretty good review of Frankie's. Only problem, like most reviews is they only talk about one drink. And the Lava Letch is on the sweeter side. But there are 25 other original drinks now. They vary from sweet to strong. The best part about Frankie's is the current bartenders have designed the drinks themselves. That's one advantage of the place only being 4 years old. And they take pride in their work. As a Vegas local and a Frankie's regular I've learned which bartenders created which drinks. So I do have an advantage of knowing which drinks to order depending on who is serving them. When you can order a drink off the person who created it, it doesn't get any better than that. Either way, they have so many drinks now I would imagine everyone could find at least a few drinks they'd love. I tried the six new drinks last night. The Tonga Reefer and Scurvy are something special. I already want to go back.

On 2013-02-21 16:23, Tiki Gadfly wrote:That's a pretty good review of Frankie's. Only problem, like most reviews is they only talk about one drink. And the Lava Letch is on the sweeter side. But there are 25 other original drinks now. They vary from sweet to strong. The best part about Frankie's is the current bartenders have designed the drinks themselves. That's one advantage of the place only being 4 years old. And they take pride in their work. As a Vegas local and a Frankie's regular I've learned which bartenders created which drinks. So I do have an advantage of knowing which drinks to order depending on who is serving them. When you can order a drink off the person who created it, it doesn't get any better than that. Either way, they have so many drinks now I would imagine everyone could find at least a few drinks they'd love. I tried the six new drinks last night. The Tonga Reefer and Scurvy are something special. I already want to go back.

Gadfly, how a bout an indepth review of said drinks as a primer for future visitors?
For example maybe you could match bartender names-to-drinks ?
With 25 originals to choose and probably several more classics it would be difficult for someone to make an educated decision if they will only be able to be there for one night.

AND, can you post this review within the next couple weeks cause I will be there at the end of March!?